❈…not much has happened this past week except I found out that my neighborhood has a ton of raccoons and that makes me nervous for Mrs Featherbottom. I have been waking up in the middle of the night and looking out our window towards her coop a lot so my husband suggested that I should start taking melatonin to help me stay asleep. It has not worked. I’m still waking up but I stay more groggy and the next day I’m extra groggy. I don’t think I’ll be taking it anymore.

Last night, though, before bed we both heard an owl hooting outside which was exciting but I was too lazy to go out to take a picture. We went to bed and then I woke up in the middle of the night because I heard the raccoons fighting:

I really don’t like that they seem to love hanging around the coop but they don’t seem to know their way in. I almost wish I didn’t have the game camera because now it’s like I know too much. Ignorance was bliss.

Today I got to sleep in a bit then my Aunt Karen came to visit from North Texas and we got to talk quite a bit. It was really nice and I had a lot of fun. I can’t wait til Thanksgiving and Christmas when the rest of my family can come see the house. Hopefully we will have put more work into it by then. There is still quite a bit of junk in the yard from the past owner:

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This is the least embarrassing pile that I was willing to post. It bothers me everyday to see this especially since it’s a termite hazard.

A few cats have been visiting as well but they are very skittish and I was only able to capture this guy on camera yesterday:

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In the plant world my Stapelia has been blooming like crazy. I love how it looks like a puffed up balloon at first and then opens up into a scary demogorgon monster. If you don’t know what a Stapelia is it is this:

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stapelia_gigantea

An old coworker of mine gave me a clipping of this almost 2 years ago and it’s a super easy plant to grow as long as it doesn’t get cold. I water when I think about it and it never seems to be stressed or overly cared for. It just does it’s own thing. Here are pictures from the last time it bloomed:

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The tea I’m drinking today is Chamomile from Celestial Seasonings. I try not to drink caffeine at night and this is satisfying my need of hot drink in the evenings. ❈